tab nav

    Archives for January 13

    Jan 7, 2013
    Washington’s elected officials are taking new steps to direct more government work to small businesses, just as contractors are bracing for the threat of sequestration.
     
    President Obama on Tuesday signed as part of the military spending budget a series of provisions to help small firms compete for more federal contracts and ensure that agencies take their annual small business contracting goals more seriously. Most notably, the law requires that small business contracting performance be part of employee reviews for senior agency officials, which factor into their consideration for bonuses and promotions.
     
    The change comes after the federal government missed its stated small business contracting goal (23 percent of total procurement across all agencies) for the eleventh straight year in 2012. Though lawmakers stopped short of imposing penalties like reducing budgets or senior level compensation for agencies that fall short of the annual goals, as had been previously proposed in both chambers, this is the first time they have provided formal incentives to encourage agencies to deliver on their annual pledge to small businesses. Read full article.

     

    Add Comment
    Jan 14, 2013

    Obama administration officials are going to the janitor’s closet, the tool chest and the IT office to find the next round of savings.
    The General Services Administration intends to launch 10 strategic sourcing initiatives in the next two years by targeting a range of products and services that all agencies use, such as cleaning supplies, tools and wireless devices, wrote Dan Tangherlini, GSA’s acting administrator, Jan. 10 on “The GSA Blog.”
     
    “Everyday shoppers know that buying in bulk saves both time and money,” Tangherlini wrote, “and the government has a similar responsibility to use its buying power to get the best value for the taxpayer.” The agency’s goals are saving “hundreds of millions of dollars by delivering better value,” increasing business for small companies and boosting efforts to buy environmentally friendly products. Furthermore, officials want to make it easier for agencies to comply with spending rules, Tangherlini wrote. His announcement comes a month after the Office of Management and Budget ordered GSA to launch five strategic sourcing initiatives in fiscal 2013 and 20

    Add Comment
    Jan 18, 2013

    “The mission of GSA is to deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to government and the American people.”
    The interactions that inspired this new mission statement have also enabled us to focus on six priorities for GSA in the upcoming year:
     
    Delivering Better Value and Savings.By using the purchasing power of the federal government, we will drive down prices, deliver better value, and reduce costs to our customer agencies. As a result, these agencies can focus their resources and attention on their core missions. We will also step up our efforts to save agencies money by creating 10 new ways that the entire government can purchase resources smarter and more efficiently. In addition, we are looking to maximize the value of our real estate assets and reduce our federal footprint. At the same time, we are looking to help our partner agencies find the space and services they need to serve the American people.
     
    Serving our Partners. GSA will ensure that doing business with us is as easy and reliable as possible by simplifying and streamlining our processes and systems. We are dedicated to providing an excellent customer experience for our partner agencies and vendors. GSA will create a culture of continuous improvement by always searching for better ways to meet our customers’ needs and expectations.
     
    Expanding Opportunities for Small Businesses. Delivering the best value for government and the American people requires taking advantage of all resources. Central to that approach is expanding opportunities for small businesses throughout the country. GSA will share ideas and best practices across the organization and with our customer agencies. We are working with the small business community, including businesses owned by veteran, women, minority, and disadvantaged entrepreneurs, to strengthen partnerships and support the success of our vendors.
     
    Making a More Sustainable Government. Going green saves green, and we are committed to a sustainable government that reduces energy and water use in federal buildings, responsibly disposes of electronic waste, and greens the federal fleet. GSA will also continue to work with businesses to make sustainable products and services readily available and affordable to our partner agencies. GSA has begun including life-cycle costs into our planning and decision making. We are also beginning the widespread implementation of innovative technologies and best practices from sources such as our own Green Proving Ground. Through our efforts, we can reduce our government’s environmental and fiscal footprints.
     
    Leading with Innovation. GSA is a leader of innovation in public service. For example, GSA was the first government agency to move to the cloud and to offer a process to streamline security of cloud services for the entire federal government. We are promoting an innovative, flexible, open workplace that will shrink the federal footprint while also serving as a model for federal offices for the future. In the coming year, we will continue to develop innovative cost-saving solutions that will be shared across the government.
     
    Building a Stronger GSA. We must provide our own employees with the same high-quality service and support that we provide our partner agencies. Within GSA we need to give our employees the very best training and resources available so that they can deliver our mission as efficiently as possible. We will emphasize collaboration and cooperation across our business lines and throughout the agency so that our customers are receiving the best service from GSA. We will guarantee that when we do something, we do it once and do it well.
    Read full article.

     

    Add Comment